little did we know

Ella 2

I don't know why I decide to trust Josiah and go see Maris. Maybe it's because he seems so awkward and kind of clueless, or maybe it's because I just want to get out of this room.
Either way, I'm stepping over Mr. Galloways body and following Josiah down a blue-painted hallway. My legs feel like jello after sitting in that room for so long, so I can't help but trip on nothing. Josiah moves quickly and stops me before I hit the ground. I scramble back upright.
    After my fall we are quiet along the way. There's nothing to talk about except, WHY AM I IN THIS STRANGE BUILDING BEING TAKEN TO SEEN SOMEONE NAMED Maris?? AND WHY DO I HAVE NO MEMORIES OF GETTING HERE? And that's not a great conversation starter. Josiah turns right then stops at a door. He wiggles the handle with no results. He jams his hands into the pocket of his jeans, searching for something.
    "Don't you have a key?" I question. Josiah glares at me for a second, then his expression shifts back to normal.
    "If I had a key don't you think we'd be in there?"
    "But... you did have a key at one point right?"
    "Yes," he says, patting his pockets, "But its gone."
    "Hmm. If only someone knew where it was."
    "Yeah, that一" he furrows his eyebrows. " Do you have it?" I grin and pull they keys from my pocket. "How did you... When did you... What?"
    "It was simple." I say. "You weren't very subtle in the room when you put the keys in your pocket. I knew where they were. The only problem was getting to them. So I一"
    "You pretended to trip in the hallway."
    "Yes. And then, obviously, i knew you would help me up. After all, I'm the important package that needs to be delivered to Maris. And then when you assisted me, I reached into your pocket and grabbed the key." Josiah nods slowly.
    "Ok, that's all fair. But why are you showing this to me now? You could've escaped."
    "I guess... I don't know." I say, shrugging my shoulders. "From what I remember of before I came here, it's not really worth going back." Josiah frowns.
    "Why not? What was so bad about it?" I ignore the question and push past him. I use the key to unlock the door.
                               ~~~~~
A woman who I assume to be Maris is seated on a grey couch in the centre of a high tech room. By high tech I mean... Modern, I guess. The walls are made of a screen, kind of like a giant cellphone. They are displaying a variety of charts and statistics. They also show maps, blueprints and pictures. The ceiling is made of glass, letting in so much natural light that there appears to be no use for light bulbs. I wonder how they see at night. White tiles are placed along the flooring creating a very bright look. The room has no furniture except for the couch Maris is sitting on and a large glass table covered in paperwork. Maris herself is pretty striking. The first thing I notice is the color of her eyes. They are a startling shade of violet. Her hair is also impressive too, a blonde so pure it's almost white. The blonde is interrupted by streaks of raspberry pink and an electric blue. She's wearing a baggy blue hoodie and a pair of skinny jeans but still manages to look professional. When she speaks her voice is raspy, but sounds delicate, fragile.
    "Ella." Maris says only one word but manages to intimidate me. I find myself leaning behind Josiah. Her voices raises a little louder. "Ella."
    "Yes?" I squeak.
    " I've been expecting you"